Setting street food standards

The FAO/World Health Organization Codex Alimentarius Commission,
which sets food safety standards worldwide, has also been working on street
foods. Through its Regional Coordinating Committees, Codex has created guidance
documents that will serve as the basis for national and local regulations
on street foods. The first regional document was produced for Latin America
and the Caribbean in 1995. Guidelines produced for Africa followed two years
later, setting policies for licensing vendors, setting up street food advisory
services and educating consumers about hygienic practices. These documents
form the basis for a regional code of practice, which would then be adapted
by each country and enforced by local authorities.